1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control-key device, and in particular, to a control-key device, to be used by a single person having the control-key device with the person's two hands. The control-key device has many operating buttons which can be manipulated by a total of four fingers consisting of the forefingers and thumbs of the person.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, in a television game machine or in a portable electronic game machine using a liquid crystal display plate, a control-key device having a direction specifying key is used. The direction specifying key is used to specify a direction along which a character moves. The character is realized by the television game machine or the portable electronic game machine can represent a human being or the like. Recently, a control-key device has, in addition to the direction specifying key, a plurality of buttons to be used for an operator's input of various commands into the game machine, the commands being required in the progress of the game.
An example of such control-key devices in the prior art is an operating device 300 for a game machine shown in FIG. 18 as described in Japanese Utility-Model Laid-Open Application No. 4-42029. The operating device 300 has a first operating unit 310, four second operating units 320, two third operating units, and two fourth operating units 330. The above-mentioned two third operating units are provided on a rear surface of the operating device respectively, and thus are not shown in the figure. An operator holds this operating device using two hands, and manipulates the first operating unit 310 and the left one of the two fourth operating units 330 using the thumb of the left hand, the left one of the two third operating units using the forefinger thereof, the right one of the two third operating units using the forefinger of the right hand, the four second operating units 320 and the right one of the two fourth operating units 330 using the thumb thereof.
However, a control-key device in the related art such as the operating device 300 has a plane configuration. Such a plane configuration of a control-key device is not always the best for the hands of an operator who is operating the control-key device. The operator is holding the control-key. That is, in a control-key device having such a configuration, if an operator attempts to hold the control-key device using two hands and continuously manipulates operating units such as buttons and the direction specifying key provided on the device using the thumbs and forefingers for a long time, the hands are likely to become tired.